Remember When: Wartime experiences teach life lessons

Remember when, and especially during the war, that each family only had one calendar? It was usually given to you as a customer of your favorite gas station, and we hung ours in the kitchen so everyone was “organized” as to the present date. The other reasons were to count the days 1) before school started in September; 2) ’til Thanksgiving; 3) ’til my birthday — or just anything special in the Sherrod family.

Well today, please stop cutting down all those trees devoted to calendars (if possible). I do love my Audubon calendar, but the other five dozen I really don’t need. My World War II Museum calendar is welcomed because of our interest in the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. That’s the calendar I was referring to when I looked at the month of August, specifically Aug. 6, 1945. “The atomic bomb, ‘Little Boy’ was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. And ... on Aug. 9, 1945, the ‘Fat Man’ A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

What memories jumped out of my memory bank! Having been in the fourth grade in 1941 and only 9 years old, I can’t begin to remember what my parents must have told me about war. It was so far away, with the Germans fighting our allies and us on one side of our world and the Japanese fighting our allies and us on the other side. But America and our allies, with our educated leaders, trained service personnel and the men and women who fought, the citizens at home who were supporting them with gas and ammunition, clothes, planes, tanks, myriad ships, food —– I’m sorry, but the list is just too long.

I’ll have to admit, my wartime experiences between the ages of 9 and13 have taught me more than I could imagine. Patriotism most definitely is at the top of the list, the American flag demanded respect with its pledge, to believe in the truth, in God and in prayer. I learned to live with less, to clean your plate, to think of others, and to praise the loyalty of our United States servicemen and women.

I found the following statement and was unable to find its author, so allow me to share:

“Patriots of the type of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and countless others, even though influenced by widely divergent convictions regarding the interpretation of its provisions, have, by their vision and sacrifices, insured the perpetuity and the integrity of the Constitution and the form of Government which it proscribes, as the Covenant between the elected Administrators of Government and the American people.”

I was recently given a book by a friend who wanted me to share these wartime memories of service to our country during the Korean War. Since this is the only war fought by my age group, I became interested in one thing as I read every word. In 1951 I was a 20-year old woman — what if I had been a man? With my American spirit, personality, etc. — how could I have survived? I wondered. Put yourself into the boots and uniform of Sgt. Charles R. Ware, RA, 18394641-L Company, 7th Regiment, 1st Calvary Division. (Note: I’m sorry to say that he reported to his final assignment on July 14, 2014.)

Ray, an Arkansas farm boy, volunteered in 1951 at 18 years of age and was sent to Hawaii for six weeks of training with orders to go to Korea. “I was stationed on patrol of the Main Line of Resistance. Midnights brought the Chinese assaults. I think about the days, weeks and even months I spent in foxholes and trenches with a man who shared his life history, saves your life or you save his, and then he is killed. All of my personal belongings were lost so I didn’t have his family’s address. Carrying your dead comrade is a solemn occasion.”

Ray explains how “important your weapon — not a gun — is. Never let it out of your reach, clean it, eat with it, sleep with it, go to the bathroom with it. Then we were alerted. ... It’s kind of hard to explain the fear — not knowing what to expect. But now, all of a sudden, I did not feel any fear — just busy trying to stay alive. The battle lasted 30 to 45 minutes, the Chinese withdrew, and we remained in our foxholes until day broke ... 57 dead ... Chinese lying everywhere ... in pieces. My platoon leader came by, ‘You all right, soldier?’ ‘I don’t think so, sir.’ His response, ‘That’s all right son, you never get used to it.’”

The rest of Ray’s story is a collection of incidences of bravery of the Americans, the hideous killing of children and women by the North Koreans and Chinese, how he processed those and still fulfilled his duties.

“The Korean War has been dubbed the forgotten war — not by those who fought it but by the general public and, for the most part, history as well. Thirty thousand Americans were killed and 100,000 wounded. If you ask who won, it turned out to be a stalemate. We accomplished our goal ... China and North Korea were unable to advance their agenda to spread communism.

War is either slowly forgotten OR never forgotten. Comrades killed next to you stay with you for life — they never fade. None of this is unique; it’s been the same since wars have been fought.

Ray served on active Army duty from the spring of 1951 until his discharge in March 1954. He received the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Star, and the United National Service Medal. Ray also received the Purple Heart for five chest wounds and was left for dead. His first sergeant returned to find him alive and dragged him to safety while under fire.